Ascendancy (Campaign)
' 'Ascendancy'' is the second campaign featuring the Dark Avengers of Barvos. Though primarily played through their point of view, the Outlaws are also prominantly involved as playable characters too. Nemeroth is the primary antagonist. Ascendancy was intended to be the third campaign, but was changed to serve as the second instead as the nations of Barvos were not quite ready for Propaganda of the Deed to take place. Ascendancy is also the only campaign so far that does not take place on any of the map locations - all events take place in space, far from Barvos. Plot Outlaws: Prelude & Opening Having no memory of the events that took place following Apocalypse and The Nothing Child, the Outlaws find themselves waking up as patients on a deep space medical research station. The circumstances by which they got there were unknown, with them knowing only that it somehow involved a battle with Typhon, which they lost. The station is quickly attacked, but the group are rescued by a band of Custodis known as the Outsiders, who hail from the Caros Fleet (see below for info). Exiled from the fleet itself, the Outsiders roam the areas of space the fleet travels and hunt down renegade Black Angels using their frigate class ship, the Victus. The Outlaws, and the Outsiders, eventually manage to track down Cayden, who was out searching for Zero. Cayden explains that the Dark Avengers are onboard the Caros fleet after they tried to follow the Outlaws, but all winded up in different places. The group manage to track down a nuclear warhead being hoarded by Felix, but before Felix can execute the group Nemeroth is revealed to have followed them to space too. Nemeroth brutally kills Felix before revealing himself to be the demonic re-incarnation of the Machine God, but the Outlaws/Outsiders/Cayden managed to retreive the nuclear warhead before Nemeroth. As they attempt to escape Nemeroth, the ship is attacked by demons. The ship's warp core is apparently damaged in the fight, threatening to overload, but Cayden manages to disarm it before disaster happens. Despite saving everyone's lives, Cayden suffers a lethal dose of radiation and dies shortly after. Zero is quickly discovered to have sabotaged the warp core himself, in an attempt to kill everyone. Citing a misanthropic hatred for humanity that has grown very recently, Zero declares that he's sided with Nemeroth and teleports away. The group realizes that Nemeroth plans to use the Caros fleet's advanced technology to build a new robotic body for himself, and possibly a new Steel Tide after that, bringing him back to his full potency. The Victus docks at a station to refuel, where the Outlaws learn that the Outsiders plan to sneak the nuclear warhead they confiscated from Felix onto the fleet and hold the fleet's technology to ransom from Nemeroth. Unwilling to risk so many lives, the Outlaws refuse to co-operate, but the Outsiders proceed with the plan anyway. Refusing to fight one another, the two groups part ways. The Outlaws eventually find their way back to the fleet. Dark Avengers: Opening After waking up on the Caros fleet with Naomi and Max, the Dark Avengers agree to help Admiral Mercer locate and kill a suspected Black Angel aboard the fleet. Things don't go well - the entire fleet and its media have it out for the Dark Avengers, holding a mis-trust for any Custodis. In addition, the fleet is being terrorised by an all knowning criminal kingpin known as The Watcher, whom seems to have taken an interest in them. Things take a turn for the worse when Nemeroth and Zero arrive on the fleet, gathering power and supplies from various points in the fleet. Ruaumoko arrives on the fleet in human form to help the Dark Avengers. Naomi, who has learnt that she is pregnant, is told by Ruau that her child will be a boy named Wyatt, and that he will be a Titan. Confused, they realise that Naomi's mother must have been a Titan too, and the 'titan gene' simply skipped a generation. Things become optimistic when the Outlaws finally join the fleet, uniting the two groups of Custodis. Rainmaker Revealed Even with the Outlaws in tow, the Custodis make no headway discovering any Black Angels on the fleet. Zero and Nemeroth continue to evade them, and the Outsiders are discovered and become openly hostile with the group when they refuse to reveal the location of the hidden nuke. The admiral is increasingly cautious about helping the group, knowing the Watcher is listening. Ruaumoko reveals that he has been sent on behalf of the Earth-Mother, who has rebuilt Outland into a safe haven where Naomi and Max can go and raise Wyatt in peace. Fearing for his safety, Max and Naomi agree and are teleported away to Outland, leaving Ruaumoko as the group's guide. Eventually, the group manage to secure an audience with the Watcher, who initially wants a 'partnership'. He quickly double crosses the group, however, revealing that he has intercepted Max and Naomi's warp signatures and taken them hostage. He orders them to kill the admiral, and threatens to kill both Max and Naomi and them if they refuse. The group manage to stage a fake death, with the admiral's co-operation. The admiral is revealed to have suspected the move by the Watcher all along, and a war breaks out. The Watcher manages to escape with Omerta (a Black Ops Stealth Cruiser), but the fleet rescues Max. Naomi, however, is captured by Zero and taken to Nemeroth. No longer challenged by the Watcher, the admiral makes a move on the Outsider's nuclear warhead. A battle takens place between the Outlaws, Dark Avengers and the Outsiders, with the Outsider's ultimately losing. Chopper, leader of the Outsiders, prepares to detonate the warhead to slow down Nemeroth, but can't bring himself to do it. Defeated, the group is arrested. As all seems well, a huge group of Black Angels encircles the group and the mastermind behind the fleet's infestation, revealed to be the Rainmaker himself, announces that he's using the fleet to deliver a vast army of Black Angels, and the fleet's advanced orbital weapons, to Barvos so he can gain total control of the planet with ease. Leaving only two ships behind, the Rainmaker steals the fleet and heads for Barvos. The doctor is in Defeated, the group learns from Max that Ruaumoko had planned on taking Wyatt for himself and leaving the Outlaws, and the Dark Avengers, to die onboard the fleet. Furious, the group send Ruaumoko away, where he disappears. Seeking a new power source, the fleet decides to harvest a source of Blacklight from a nearby planet to use against the Rainmaker, despite the obvious dangers. Max, however, has a safer idea. He manages to locate Zankai Mercer, who possess the Lazrus Device (a conduit to another Titan), and uses it to synthesis a new type of Blacklight - Sparkstone, which is created using his son Wyatt's powers rather than Whiro's. Sparkstone proves to be an effective power source, even managing to trap Zero on board the fleet so the Outlaws can arrest him safely. Nobody, however, knows how to effectively harness its power. Captain Angelo sends Morena to recruit a scientist known as Daniel Bedington, who turns out to be an expert in Custodis and Titans. Daniel agrees to help, proving himself by perform 'medicals' on each of the Custodis and improving (or fixing) their biology. He also begins working on a pulse, using Sparkstone, that will disable the powers of all Black Angels on the Rainmaker's fleet but keeps the Outlaws/Dark Avenger's active. Zankai reveals that he has been actively investigating a man known as Dragonfly, who he believes is the Watcher's true employer. Dragonfly, apparently, holds a hatred for Titans and all their creations. Dragonfly also attempted to kill Daniel Bedington, before Morena got there first. Daniel tries to interogate Zero, leading them to discover that Zero had been corrupted shortly after the events of The Nothing Child by Whiro, driving him mad. Zero is suddenly killed by unknown means just as he is about to reveal Dragonfly's identity, causing Daniel to suspect that Dragonfly was somehow responsible. Daniel, fearing that Dragonfly may be even more well versed in Titan biology than he is, begins working on the Sparkstone pulse so the group can defeat the Rainmaker's fleet and save Naomi from Nemeroth. Daniel also agrees to be the group's new guide since he is more than qualified. The Finale Armed with the Sparkstone Pulse, the Ascendancy arrives in orbit around Barvos just as the Rainmaker prepares to destroy most of the colonies below with an orbirtal bombardment. The group sucessfully locates Naomi and pulls her to safety, however are ambushed by Nemeroth shortly after. A fight ensues, in which Nemeroth sends a Bio-Transfered zombie Felix to battle the group - though they defeat Felix, Nemeroth himself proves to be far too powerful. He reveals that, despite their best efforts, the group are too late - he has already constructed a new machine body for himself using the fleet's resources, as well as an army, and will soon be reborn as the Machine God once again. However, Naomi's unborn child activates his powers from the womb, effortlessly destroying Nemeroth. The group manage to escape as the fleet is destroyed, though they are unable to save Gabriel Mercer, who goes down with the ship. An escape shuttle carrying the group crashes back on Barvos. They find that their powers are not working properly and, with nothing else to do but wait, the group goes their seperate ways. Most return to their home nations, whilst others go on personal errands. Naomi and Max are taken to Outland to raise Wyatt. The group would eventually reunite when a newcomer summons them... Ship Information ASTOP.jpg|Ascendancy (Top Level) ASMID.jpg|Ascendancy (Mid Level) ASLOWER.jpg|Ascendancy (Lower Level) PROMTOP.jpg|Prometheus (Top Level) PROMLOWER.jpg|Prometheus (Lower Level) ELEM.jpg|The Element COLONIALONE.jpg|Colonial One OMERTA.jpg|Omerta HAVEN.jpg|Haven PURGATORY.jpg|Purgatory CLOUDTEN.jpg|Cloud Ten FLOATER.jpg|The Floater STONER.jpg|The Stoner The 'Caros' fleet has ten ships in total. *''The Ascendancy'' - The flagship of the fleet. A colossal dreadnaught, a living breathing society in its own right. It houses its own crew, heads the entire fleet and has the largest, most powerful weapons on board. It has a huge docking bay, capable of holding dozens of Cobra fighter planes. It reigns absolutely supreme in the fleet, answering only to the command of the president of the Caros fleet. *''Prometheus'' - A battleship, smaller than the Ascendancy but still extremely potent. Like the Ascendancy, it houses its own crew. It's primary weapon, a forward mounted railgun, is the most powerful weapon in the fleet, capable of turning even a ship like the Ascendancy into dust with one shell. *''The Element'' - A smaller battlecruiser that mostly acts as a support ship for the Ascendancy and Prometheus. Though it has crew living quarters, the crew tend not to stay aboard the ship for long periods due to the ship's older engines, which make a terrible noise without end. The ship is also believed to be cursed, having once been the flagship for a murderous fleet of pirates. *''Colonial One'' - The smallest ship in the fleet. It is home to the president of the Caros fleet, who holds press conferences and political debates aboard the ship. It often flies closely alongside the Ascendancy, both for protection and easier access as the president and the admiral of the fleet often need to consult on a daily basis. *''Omerta'' - A logistics vessel, the most high tech and expensive ship in the fleet (even more so than the Ascedancy). The technology aboard the ship allows it to plot Warp jumps for the fleet, making it one of the most important ships. It is home to the military academy, where the recruits are trained and, upon graduation, are often sent straight aboard the Ascendacy. The ship has a complex stealth system making it difficult to detect, but the most prized piece of tech aboard the ship is the EMP, a huge scale weapon that can knock a hostile fleet out of action in a heartbeat, whilst keeping the Caros fleet unharmed. *''Haven'' - A civilian living vessel, one of two huge ships. It is where the civilian crew sleep, eat and raise their families. It houses over 6,000 people. It is also the only ship with a functioning education system, so is home to a large number of families. Those born and raised here tend to make up the bulk of the civilian population on board the fleet, and often move off into high end roles such as security, officers, doctors or teachers. *''Purgatory'' ''- The second civilian living vessel. After a Blacklight outbreak infected living block B, it is considered to be the 'slums' of the fleet. Housing at least 5,000 people, crime rates are high and health is always at risk, but there is simply no more room on the fleet - the people unfortunate enough to be born here are often stuck living here. The school system was long since abandoned in favour of a second sickbay. Transport buses to and from Purgatory are rare, partly because of the ship's reputation and partly because people rarely wish to come here. Most of the youth choose to enlist in the military to escape the harsh living conditions, and others end up as factory workers. *''Cloud Ten' '- A huge luxury cruise liner where the entire fleet comes to relax. It contains a huge shopping mall, a cinema, a sports center, a bar and even a church. It is also rather infamously home to the fleet's mafia, though the vast majority of people believe the mafia operate off of Purgatory. The black market and a brothel can also be found here - it is believed that the president has chosen to allow these illegal activities and simply monitor them, thinking them to be a necassary evil. *''The Stoner'' - An astroid mining barge, which extracts and refines precious materials from astroids that the fleet passes, turning it into fuel for the other ships. Other materials are then sent to the Floater, where they are refined into building material, food or medical supplies. It has a large docking bay, and so serves as the home of Buses, medium sized transport ships that are used to ferry people from ship to ship. *''The Floater'' - A large industrial ship and maintenance cruiser. Materials sent over from the Stoner are turned into goods, such as food, water, ammunition, weapons or medical supplies. It is also home to a Blacklight refinery, which the fleet uses to power its warp drives. One of the cargo bays has been refurbished as a prison, simply because there is nowhere else aboard the fleet to store convicts. The Caros fleet also uses two smaller types of ships: *'Cobra' - a one-man fighter jet, uses to defend the fleet against small ships. Despite their size, they are extremely nimble and pack a considerable torpedo payload. They can only be launched from the Ascendacy, and Cobra pilots are rare to come by. *'Buses' - medium sized vessels about the size of a house, piloted by two people with a capacity of roughly twenty. Though unarmed, they serve as transport ships and used to ferry people from ship to ship. They always make routine runs from ship to ship, and civilians follow a 'bus timetable' to get to where they need to go, be it Cloud Ten to relax, the Ascendacy to enlist or Haven after a long day's work aboard the Floater. Fleet Society *The Caros fleet has been adrift from over a hundred years. Its population consists of the only survivors of their planet, Caros, which was destroyed by a Titan (though only the admiral and a few military commanders know this). They search space for a suitable new world to settle down on. *There are 17,471 people in the fleet. *The president holds the highest authority on the fleet, though representatives from the military and each ship are always present in debates of importance, giving them a voice. Presidential elections are held every three years. *The ship has a broadcasting media system for television and radio, operating out of Cloud Ten, called 'Caros Broadcasting Union'. It spends most of its time debating the direction of the fleet and calling into question the president, the Ascendancy and the general well-being of the fleet. *The fleet travels by jumping through the Warp, using navigation technology available from Omerta. The Warp jumps require Blacklight, which the fleet harvests from astroids. They jump into a system, explore it, then move onto the next until they find a new home. *Very few people aboard the Caros fleet know of the Titan's existance. The fleet has seen three whole generations born in space. It originally consisted of seventeen ships, but piracy, treachary and other tragic events have dwindled the fleet down considerably. *Currency exists aboard the fleet, and there are a huge number of jobs available. Aboard Purgatory, however, anarchy often reigns supreme. *There is a crimelord aboard the ship, though he is relatively unknown and is simply called 'The Watcher'. The Watcher is in charge of the mafia, and attempts to locate and stamp him out have so far been unsuccesful. *The primary religion aboard the the Caros fleet is known as 'Divinism'. It is a compassionate yet fiery religion in which its followers worship a long lost relic known as the Diviner, which involves an elaborate prophecy in which the Diviner, when found, will lead the fleet to their new home. Notable Crew (with character casting) *Admiral Gabriel Mercer - Captain of the Ascendancy and Admiral of the Caros fleet. A quiet, mysterious man of honour, code and moral conduct. Very much a 'by the book' military man. He answers only to the president of the fleet.'' (Edward James Olmos)'' *Colonel Ash Carter - Executive officer (XO) aboard the Ascendancy, second in command of the ship. Generally regarded as a 'bitch'. (Gwendoline Christie) *President Benjamin Bauer- The most popular president in generations. Compassionate, charismatic and very involved with civilian life. The people love him, and have elected him three times. He is a modest, careful and cunning political leader, and has saved the fleet numerous times. (James Callis) *''Vice-President Emilia Ferris'' - Vice-President of the colonies. A former military officer, who abandoned her uniform to persue a life in politics. Her ruthlessness and intelligence allowed her to climb the ranks quickly, but she is regarded as being a strong contender for the presidency. (Ming-Na Wen) *''Doctor Joseph Appleton'' - One of the best and brightest doctor's on the fleet. He is generally given VIPs as his patience, such as the captains of the fleet or politicians. (Stephen Fry) *The Watcher - A crimelord living aboard the fleet. An anarchist, too, though his views are very different to those of Cayden's, garanteed to bring the two into conflict. (Micheal Rooker) *''Captain Monica Thrace'' - Captain of the Prometheus. Ruthless and generally unlikable. She also commands the Floater. (Helena Bonham Carter) '' *Captain James Angelo- Captain of The Element. Rarely seen outside of his quarters, but one of the most sound tactical minds in the fleet. He also commands the Stoner. ''(Bryan Cranston) *Captain Edward Thane- The tough captain of Omerta. Something of a backstabbing rogue, and tactically likes to play dirty. He is responsible for training new recruits into the military. (Gary Oldman) Category:Campaigns